It was extraordinary stuff, which included a savage attack on Cowley’s own business record.

But what made it really remarkable was that Ken Cowley now claimed he had said or meant none of the things that had been reported.

Mr Cowley, 80, said he was misled, misquoted and verballed by The Australian Financial Review journalist Anne Hyland ...

He denied entirely some of the remarks, such as calling The Australian newspaper “pathetic”, did not recall other comments and said some were off the record. Yesterday, he described The Australian as “the best newspaper in the country”.

— The Australian, 2nd June, 2014

Now that’s all very well, but the Fin Review claims to have recorded that interview and insists it was on the record.

We have not heard the tape, but journalist Anne Hyland claims in a statement today.

I recorded it on a tape recorder clearly placed in front of him on the desk.

It is disappointing Mr Cowley has denied his statements and it’s not for me to speculate why.

— Australian Financial Review, 31st May – 1st June May, 2014

We suspect what happened is that Ken Cowley offered those remarks, assuming they would not be reported. He says he thought the story was about RM Williams.

Journalist Anne Hyland believes she had every right to publish them.

So we’ll see where we go from here. From his farm in country NSW Mr Cowley told the Australian he was devastated.

Meanwhile the Oz claims he’s ‘consulting his lawyers’.

And if we get our hands on that tape, rest assured you’ll be hearing it.

And you can read more about these stories on our website, where you can also get a transcript and download the program.

And you can catch up with us on iview.

And contact me or Media Watch on Twitter. But until next week, that’s all from us, Goodbye.

Mulga Mumblebrain :

03 Jun 2014 6:59:33pm

Bullies really hate it when their victims fight back. The vendettas launched by 'The Fundament' against the likes of Simon Overland, Christine Nixon, ATSIC, the Green Party, even the dead Manning Clarke, are yet another stigma of pure malevolence, in my opinion at least.

Mulga Mumblebrain :

03 Jun 2014 9:11:51am

Poor old Ken. Speaks the truth about his old gang (breaking omerta) and he gets the 'We know where you live' treatment, (perhaps somebody should count his toes, to see if any are missing) in typically deranged and hysterical fashion from the nut-house aka 'The Fundament'(The Fundamental Orifice of the Nation) the greatest newspaper ever.